Choosing the greatest athletes in history is not an easy task. What weighs more: world records, Olympic medals, international titles, or dominance over rivals? As an experiment we asked artificial intelligence which ten athletes are the best of all time, taking into account their results, their influence on the sport, and their ability to define an era. The result combines sprinters, distance runners, jump specialists, and athletes in combined events, but it omits many great names, both current and from the past, and above all highlights a clear gap between men and women: only two names on the list are women.
1. Usain Bolt (Jamaica)
The fastest man in history and, for many, the greatest athlete of all time. Usain Bolt still holds the world records for the 100 meters (9.58) and the 200 meters (19.19), as well as having won eight Olympic gold medals. His dominance in both events over three consecutive Games, from Beijing 2008 to Rio 2016, makes him an almost unmatched figure. In addition to his results, there is his ability to transcend track and field and become a global star.
2. Carl Lewis (Estados Unidos)
Nine Olympic golds, four of them consecutive in the long jump, and an exceptional track record in speed and jumping. Carl Lewis dominated international athletics for more than a decade and stood out for his unusual versatility. His ability to compete at the highest level in different disciplines, together with his longevity, places him among the top contenders for the greatest athlete of all time.
3. Paavo Nurmi (Finlandia)
One of the great pioneers of modern athletics. Paavo Nurmi won nine Olympic gold medals and three silver across the Antwerp 1920, Paris 1924, and Amsterdam 1928 Games. A specialist in distance and middle-distance events, he dominated different distances and was a central figure in Finland’s golden age of athletics. His legacy helped lay the foundations of modern endurance training for runners.
4. Jesse Owens (Estados Unidos)
Four Olympic gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Games, in the 100 meters, 200 meters, long jump, and the 4×100 relay. Jesse Owens’ performance is one of the most memorable in Olympic history, both for his extraordinary achievement and for the political and racial context in which it occurred. His figure transcended sport and turned his successes into a historic symbol that remains relevant decades later.
5. Eliud Kipchoge (Kenia)
The great benchmark of the modern marathon. Eliud Kipchoge won two Olympic golds at the distance, in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, and maintained extraordinary consistency for years in the major international races. In 2019 he ran the marathon in 1:59:40 at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge, a feat that does not count as an official record, but proved that breaking the two-hour barrier was possible under controlled conditions. His legacy goes far beyond his times: it altered the perception of the distance’s limits.
6. Emil Zátopek (Checoslovaquia)
The feat of Emil Zátopek at the Helsinki 1952 Olympics remains one of the most extraordinary achievements in track and field. The Czechoslovak distance runner won gold in the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, and the marathon at the same Olympics, despite never having previously competed in a marathon. His endurance, his competitive drive, and his innovative training methods turned him into a legend of long-distance running.
7. Allyson Felix (Estados Unidos)
With 11 Olympic medals, seven of them gold, Allyson Felix is the track athlete with the most Olympic medals in history. A specialist in speed and relays, she competed at the highest level across five Olympic Games, from Athens 2004 to Tokyo 2020. Her longevity, her international successes, and her influence off the track make her one of the most important figures in women’s athletics.
8. Haile Gebrselassie (Etiopía)
Two Olympic golds in the 10,000 meters, four consecutive World Championships titles at that distance, and numerous world records. Haile Gebrselassie was one of the great dominators of distance running during the 1990s and early 2000s. Later, he moved his talent to the marathon and helped consolidate the dominance of Ethiopian distance runners. His combination of speed, endurance, and competitive drive ensures him a place among the greatest of all time.
9. Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Estados Unidos)
Considered by many the best all-around athlete in history, Jackie Joyner-Kersee excelled in the heptathlon and the long jump. Her world record in the heptathlon, with 7,291 points, remains in force since 1988. She won three Olympic golds and accumulated six medals in total across four Olympic Games. Her extraordinary combination of speed, power, endurance, and technique makes her one of the most complete athletes the sport has known.
10. Sergey Bubka (Ukraine / Soviet Union)
The great innovator of pole vaulting. Sergey Bubka was six-time outdoor world champion and the first man to clear six meters. He set 35 world records throughout his career when counting both outdoor and indoor marks, and dominated his event for more than a decade. Although his Olympic résumé is less extensive than that of other names on this list, his supremacy and technical influence make him one of the greats in history.
Which athletes does artificial intelligence overlook?
A ranking of only ten names forces leaving out figures who have ample arguments to appear on it. Here are some of the candidates that artificial intelligence left out:
